Italy investigators probe 100-foot ravine bus crash that killed 38

Investigators were on Monday trying to work out why a bus careered out of control into slow-moving traffic then plunged nearly 100 feet down a steep ravine in southern Italy, killing 38 people and injuring 16.

The uncle of a survivor reportedly said that she thought a tire had blown and that the driver had tried desperately to stay in control of the vehicle.

A tour bus lies in a ravine near the southern Italian town of Avellino after a crash that killed dozens of people. Some people on the bus survived and were being treated in hospitals.Ciro De Luca / Reuters

Tests were being carried out on the driver, who was among the dead, to establish whether he had had a medical problem or drank alcohol, a medical official said.